May 12, 2021 – Madison, WI – In floor action on Tuesday, the Wisconsin Senate passed two election integrity bills, one led by Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) and one led by Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills). Senate Republicans have now passed six election integrity bills this session.
“Republicans are serious about restoring faith and trust in our elections,” Sen. Stroebel said. “In back-to-back presidential elections polling found that a significant number of voters lack faith and trust in elections and the outcomes they produce. We told our constituents we would pass common-sense reforms that increase transparency, create consistency and establish standards of accountability for our elections. We continue to deliver on that promise.”
The two bills that passed the Senate on Tuesday include SB 203 (Stroebel), which brings Wisconsin into line with 40 other states that have established minimum requirements for who may return absentee ballots for another voter, and SB 212 (Darling), which clarifies that voters, but not municipal clerks, may cure defects on absentee ballot certificates.
Also on Tuesday, the Assembly passed its first two election integrity bills of the session. The first, SB 208, requires the Wisconsin Elections Commission to publish copies of their meeting minutes online. The second, AB 173, ensures that out-of-state billionaires can’t buy Wisconsin election administration. Both bills previously passed the Senate along with measures that ensure election observers have meaningful access to recounts and expand venue options for election law legal disputes.
“Additional reforms to close voter ID loopholes, protect voting at long-term care facilities, establish standards for absentee ballot drop boxes, and reform the state’s indefinitely confined voter law to prevent its abuse are also moving through the process. I will do everything I can to ensure that these proposals reach the Senate floor in June,” Stroebel concluded.
Please note that SB 203, Sen. Stroebel’s bill regarding the security of returned absentee ballots had a floor amendment that ensures family members, legal guardians or another voter in Wisconsin may return the absentee ballot of another voter. This amendment broadens the bill from its original version.
Sen. Duey Stroebel represents the 20th Senate District which includes portions of Ozaukee, Washington, Fond du Lac, Calumet and Sheboygan Counties.
